Shrub pruning in Godstone

Careful, plant-by-plant pruning for established Godstone gardens and younger beds alike.

Shrub pruning in Godstone is mostly about timing and restraint. Plenty of village gardens are old, with shrubs that have been there longer than whoever owns the house. Cut those at the wrong moment and you lose a year of flowers. Cut too hard and some never get their shape back.

So we go plant by plant with secateurs and loppers. Spring-flowering shrubs are pruned once they’ve finished. Later ones that flower on new wood are cut back in early spring. Roses get their main prune in late winter, usually February round here, and every pruning goes away with us.

Shrub pruning in Godstone’s light, sandy soil

On the greensand much of the village sits on, water drains away fast and shrubs can be under stress by midsummer. A hard prune in a dry July asks a thirsty plant to push growth it can’t support. We’d rather do the structural cutting in the dormant season or straight after spring flowering, while there’s still moisture in the ground, and keep summer to deadheading and light shaping. A spring mulch after pruning helps the soil hold on to whatever rain it gets.

Hedge and shrub pruning in older gardens

Older gardens, especially in and around the two conservation areas, often have big shrubs that have been sheared into lumps for years. Hedge and shrub pruning are different jobs, and a lump needs the second. We thin out old stems, open the middle to light and bring the size down over two or three seasons rather than all in one go. It’s slower. But the plant stays healthy and starts flowering properly again, which a shearing never achieves. Anything that’s really a tree, we leave to a tree surgeon.

Pruning in Godstone: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

Can I book shrub pruning near me as a one-off?

Yes. Lots of people book a single pruning visit in late winter or after spring flowering. If you’d like it done right every year, we can build it into a regular visit instead.

Why hasn’t my shrub flowered since it was cut back?

Almost always because it was pruned at the wrong time and the flower buds went with the cuttings. Tell us what the plant is, or show us, and we’ll get the timing right for next year.

Do your pruning services include trees?

No. We’re not tree surgeons. Shrubs, roses and climbers are our work, and if a tree needs attention we’ll tell you. In the conservation areas, tree work needs notice to the council before anyone starts.